Twas the Night Before Christmas
by Justasmalltowngirl2713
Summary: A woman shows up, murdered, on her own front lawn, with little information to go on. Going to be lots of Peter and Megan romance!
1. The Bloody Snow

Megan Hunt was an interesting human being. Once a fabulous neurosurgeon, she was involved in a car accident, resulting in paresthesia in her hands. She left her job to be a Medical Examiner in Philadelphia. From her air of confidenceto her snippy attitude, she kept everybody on their toes, especially one man in particular—Peter Dunlop. Peter had been Megan's partner for some time now, and he held one _very _large secret.

Peter was in love with Megan.

He couldn't quite remember when he had realized it. She would walk into the office in her too-high shoes and her red hair falling over her shoulders everyday, and one day, something just snapped in him. The way she bossed him around while working, the way she always figured out the answer to the homicides before anyone else—Peter was hooked.

It was Christmastime in Philadelphia. The blizzards that had commonly ravaged the area in the past few areas had struck again, painting the area a beautiful, crisp white. The only thing that ruined it was the splattered blood from a murdered woman on a man's front yard just outside the city.

The victim's name was Emily Richards. She lived in the home with her husband, Drew, and their two children, Jessica and Alexander. She had been walking outside late one night to take out the trash when she had been last seen. About twenty minutes after she left, their daughter, Jessica, walked outside to check on her, and found her mother brutally beaten, lying in the snow. Emily had three gun shot wounds—one to her lower stomach, one on her left forearm, and the killer—one straight through her forehead. No footprints were found in the snow surrounding the house and no fingerprints or DNA were left behind.

Megan arrived at the scene of the crime in the usual trench coat and stellar heels. Detectives Bud Morris and Samantha Baker were already there examining the body, and Peter was on his way.

"Good morning, Dr. Hunt," Bud said as Megan approached.

"Not such a good morning for Emily Richards," Megan pointed out. She shook hands with Detective Baker and walked towards the body, still lying in the snow. "Any new information?"

"The gun used to kill Emily is owned by a Samuel Walker. Police are headed to his apartment now. Other than that, there isn't much. All our hopes are on Sam Walker," Detective Baker replied.

Megan simply nodded and kneeled in the snow to get a close look at Mrs. Richards. She examined the bullet holes and stood up. "The shots were close range—_very _close. Are you sure there's no sign of anyone else being here? No footprints, fingerprints…?"

"The area's still being closely looked over, but from what's turned up so far, nothing," Bud answered.

Peter arrived at the scene then and ran up to them. "Megan!" he yelled, his heart giving an extra thump as he spoke her name. "They brought Samuel Walker into the station, and they learned a little fun fact—Samuel's boss is Drew Richards."


	2. More Pieces to the Puzzle

Megan, Peter, Bud, and Sam all left the crime scene and headed back downtown to speak with Samuel Walker, the only suspect in the case. Arriving in the investigation room, Bud and Sam walked in, while Megan and Peter stood on the outside, looking into what was going on.

"What were you doing last night between nine and eleven P.M.?" Bud asked, his sleeves rolled up, leaning on the table that separated him and Samuel.

"I was at home, working on our books to make sure we were ready for the year-end close, I swear!" Samuel replied. He had on a nice, button up shirt with a pair of khakis and loafers. Apparently, he had just arrived home from work when the officers showed up at his door.

"Can anyone verify that?" Sam asked him, and his face fell.

"No. I was home alone. I'll do whatever it takes to prove it to you, I was there," he whispered.

"Is it true that you own this gun?" Bud asked, holding a picture of a small handgun that was used to kill Emily Richards.

"Yeah, of course, I leave it in my office though. Nobody knows though—it's against protocol. I use it mainly for protection, but it's in a locked drawer that I haven't opened in a few years. Why?"

"And is it true that you work for Emily Richards' husband, Drew?" Bud asked.

"Yes, I have for six years now. Now can you please tell me what the HELL is going on?" Samuel shouted, slamming his fists against the table.

Bud stood up straight and crossed his arms. "Emily Richards was murdered in front of her house last night with _your _gun."

Samuel's eyes went wide, and his mouth fell slightly open. "H-how…how is that even _possible? _I haven't even _seen _that gun since the day I put it in that drawer!" he shouted.

"Samuel, you said the drawer was locked. Does it have a key?" Sam asked.

"Yes, of course, I keep it in the bottom of my laptop bag. I'm the only person who knows where it is," he replied breathlessly.

"Are you _sure_ that you're the only person who knows that?" Sam asked, squinting at the suspect.

Samuel set back in his chair and slowly sucked in a deep breath. "No. I'm not. The day I put the gun in the drawer, Drew walked into my office, and asked me what I was doing. He told me that it was fine, it would be our secret, but he needed to know where the key was. And I told him."

Megan shut off the system that allowed her and Peter to listen in to what was happening inside. "Where was Drew when Emily was killed?"

"He said he had been inside, in his office, working. His son, the seventeen-year-old, Alex saw him there," Peter replied, shaking his head.

"Get him brought down here. I want to speak with him," Megan replied, and Peter quickly agreed. "Thanks, Peter," Megan said, blushing as she waved goodbye. Peter turned around and smiled back at her, and walked out the door.

Though Megan would never admit it, she was in love with her partner, Peter Dunlop. Everything about him made her heart beat a little faster than normal. He was kind, listened to her, understood her, and _extremely _attractive. She always wondered if he felt the same way, but shoved the thoughts aside. This wasn't the place for this. She was getting too old for this. A woman of her age should _not _have school girl crushes. But gosh, did Peter get under her skin. And those eyes…

Megan feared she was slowly losing her sanity.


	3. An Innocent Man

**Hi everyone! Thought I'd finally introduce myself. I'm at home sick from school today, so I thought I'd finally sit down to write this. I hope you're liking the story. If you're onto Chapter 3, then maybe it means you do. Awesome! If you don't, that's fine too, no biggy, we all have our opinions. For those of you who are really looking for some good Megan and Peter scenes, don't worry, they're coming—I wanna write them just as much as you wanna read them! Those two = perfection. I'm also curious to see if you guys have any idea as to who the killer could be yet? It'll be exciting! Well, it's been great talking to you all. I'd love some reviews! Enjoy the story!**

Still in the investigation room, Bud look sharply at the suspect, Samuel Walker. "Where's the key to the drawer now?"

"In my bag, of course, just like I said," Samuel replied, growing nervous.

"Sam, officers brought his bag as evidence. Go grab it," Bud whispered to his partner, Detective Sam Baker. She nodded and did as she was told. A few minutes later, she returned, bag in tow. She threw it onto the table.

"Get the key," Bud told Sam, and he reached for the bag and reached in. His arm went in naturally, calmly, but then he looked into the bag, and started to fish around. He began to pull everything out of the bag, until there was nothing left. No key to be found.

"Where's the key, Samuel?" Bud asked.

"I-I…I have no idea, it was here the other day, I swear!" he shouted.

"At any time did you leave your bag unattended?" Detective Baker asked.

"Well, yeah, of course. I leave it in the office whenever I go out to lunch or anything—it's in there alone for most of the day," he whispered, feeling like he was digging his own grave.

"Why should I believe you lost it, Samuel? What if you _did _kill Emily? You killed her with your own gun, and hid the key to pretend like you lost it!" Bud shouted, scaring Samuel. He pressed back farther in his chair, trying to come up with words.

"My apartment building!" Samuel shouted, very excited now. "It has security cameras in the hallway! And outside the building! You would be able to see when I walked in and when I left!" Samuel let out a sigh of relief, and Bud looked over to Sam.

"Get the security feed, just in case," he told her. She nodded in agreement. Sure enough, Samuel _had _been telling the truth. He arrived home at seven o'clock in the evening on the day of Emily's death and didn't leave until the next morning. However, the key was still missing.

Peter did as Megan asked, and walked in with Drew Richards beside him. They sat down in one of the spare conference rooms in the building with Bud and Sam.

Drew Richards was a tall, well-dressed man. He was 53 years of age and, so he said, loved his wife with all his heart. Megan turned sideways in his chair to get a good look at him.

"Mr. Richards. On the night of your wife's death, you were working from home, correct?" Megan questioned.

He gave a solemn nod. "Yes, in the office. Alex saw me there, you can ask him."

"Samuel Walker worker for you, didn't he? You're his boss," she stated.

"Samuel? He's a good guy. Always does what I ask him to. I trust him with everything. He's good friends with my whole family, too. My kids always looked up to him, and my wife was very close with him," Drew replied.

Megan smiled. Interesting. She stood up, leaving everyone to stare at her. "Thank you, Mr. Richards. That's all I needed to hear. Peter?" she said, and then walked out of the room, Peter following behind her.

"What was that? You only asked him two questions! He's our prime suspect!" Peter shouted at her, though he wasn't truly angry. He could never be angry with her. She just annoyed the _hell _out of him. Sometimes how he wondered how he could be so crazy about her.

"_Because, _Peter," she said. "He didn't do it. I already knew that. I wanted to speak with him for something else."

Peter rolled his eyes. "And how the hell did you know that?"

She smirked. "While you were getting him for me earlier today, I went down to the police station to see if they could tap into the Richards' home security cameras. The footage proved that he had been in the office, like he said. But what I wanted to know was the relationship between Samuel Walker and Emily Richards."

"Why would you want to know that?" Peter asked.

"Because it seemed like Samuel Walker was framed. And poorly, too. Done by someone with not much expertise, because they overlooked the security cameras—a rookie mistake. But the key missing, his gun, their relationship—it all would have pointed directly at him if it wasn't for the security footage. It's too close for it to just be a coincidence," Megan state, matter-of-factly.

Peter paused, and chuckled. "How on earth did you figu-" He was interrupted by Megan's phone. He glanced down at her caller ID. The call was from Dr. Ethan Gross.

"Ethan?" Megan answered. She nodded a couple times, and finished with, "Ok, I'll be right down."

"What was that?" Peter asked.

"Emily's body finally came in. Let's go."


	4. All I Want for Christmas

**Still reading, huh? Awesome! If you have any guesses of who the killer is, leave them in a review, I'd love to see what everyone is thinking!**

Megan changed into her scrubs and walked into the morgue to investigate the body of Emily Richards. It was getting to be very late, and she was tired, but she promised she would go home after she looked at the body.

Her partner, Peter, walked in the door, stifling a yawn. "Are you sure this can't wait until tomorrow? Shouldn't you be out Christmas shopping? Christmas is in three days," Peter teased her.

She smirked. "Strangely, I don't have all that much to do. Todd's taking Lacey up to his parents' house for Christmas, so I'll be alone. I only had to buy presents for a few people, which I already did, and it's not like I'll be decorating my apartment for just me."

"You mean," Peter whispered, "you don't have a tree?"

Megan looked up at him, expecting to see his goofy smirk, but saw that he was looking at her seriously. "Um, well…well, no, I don't have one," she whispered in reply.

He threw his hands up and looked around. "It is _not _Christmas without a Christmas tree."

She chuckled, and reached for her scalpel. About to cut into Emily's chest, her hands went number, and she dropped it onto the floor. "Dammit," she whispered.

"Your hands again?" Peter whispered. Megan began to massage her fingers, but Peter grabbed her hand. "Here. Let me."

Peter began to massage her fingers back to life. He couldn't believe that he had just reached right over and done that. He was worried that he was making her uncomfortable, but it felt so good to have her hand in his.

Megan blushed, not being able to control her smile. He was such a gentleman. Gosh, he made her feel like a little kid. He turned her into complete mush. When she regained feeling in her hand, she pulled it back and thanked Peter. He blushed and just nodded in reply. She leaned down to pick up her scalpel and got to work.

Peter leaned over her and took pictures for her while she searched. She found a couple little things that were sent for testing, but the results would not be received until the morning. She had noticed that the gunshot wounds were even closer up than she had originally thought—the gun had been touching her skin when it was shot. She had no bruising anywhere on her body. The two just didn't make sense together…how could someone be so close to her, yet there be no bruising? Did she not resist after the first couple of shots? The pieces didn't go together. Hopefully, when the results came back, it would become clear.

"Thanks for sticking around, Peter," Megan said after she had changed back into her normal clothes. "I can always count on you."

Peter smiled. "Sure thing. Hey, do you wanna go out for a drink? The bar down the street's having a Christmas concert. It could be fun." He couldn't believe he had just done that…sure, they had gone for drinks before, but with the rest of the crew. Actually, Peter had never been alone with Megan outside of work. The thought of getting to excited him.

"Christmas concert? Seriously?" Megan laughed, and Peter's smirk shrunk. "I'd love to. Just let me get my purse."

Megan walked away, and Peter felt his heart thump just a little harder than usual.


	5. Is You

**Ahhh! So I thought I was done for the day, but then I got my first two reviews ever (you know who you are) and they were so sweet! So I've decided to keep going, because I don't feel like doing my homework…**

Megan's stomach was flipping, her head was screaming. Megan Hunt, this is not a date. This is _not _a date. You're going for drinks with your partner. Your extremely sweet, caring, kind, attractive…

Not. A. Date.

Similar thoughts were going through Peter's head, but he was also planning strategy. Should he make a move tonight? How would she react? What if it was bad? Would it ruin their work relationship? How would _he _react if she shot down his attempt…?

Megan had taken a cab to the crime scene today, so she had no car. Peter offered her a ride, and she gladly accepted. He held open her door for her as she got in, and then they were off.

The bar was brightly decorated with red and green lights, little Christmas trees, and candy canes. A stage was set up along the back wall of the bar, where a band, with all the members dressed as elves, got ready. Megan chuckled at the sight of them. "Peter, I think you should dress up as an elf for work tomorrow."

He looked over at the band and back at Megan, and began to laugh. "I don't think Kate would be too happy. And I don't think Ethan and Curtis would ever let me live it down." They both laughed and sat down at the bar. Peter ordered a beer while Megan got a glass of red wine. They chatted about work and other small things, until Peter asked a question he knew would start a real conversation.

"How are things with Lacey?"

Megan looked down at her wine before she started. "Good, I guess. We're getting closer, which is really nice. Much better than when she hated me. I think she still prefers to spend time with Todd, but she does enjoy being with me. Kate always being over there makes it difficult, though. Lacey seems to almost…admire Kate. Kate has always been a better dresser and more fun than I am, and I think Lacey relates to her better than she does to me."

Peter scrunched his eyes. "Kate's not a better dresser than you," he said, matter-of-factly. Megan blushed.

"Well, thanks. I'm going to miss Lace on Christmas. I mean, I haven't got to spend Christmas with her in awhile, but still, now that we're closer, it would have been nice to at least see her," Megan said, turning to look at Peter, who was looking intently at her.

"I understand. She's your daughter, after all," he replied. Megan smiled.

"So what about you? What are you doing for Christmas?" she asked.

He shrugged. "The same as always. My mom's having a big dinner for my whole family. My sisters will be there, with all their families. Everyone will talk about how happy they are with life and nag me about how I don't have a family of my own. I'll struggle through it, and then find the closest bar I can," Peter said with a chuckle.

Megan frowned. "I'm sorry. That's no fun."

He looked at her, serious. "It's not a problem. I do it every year. Actually…"

Megan scrunched her eyebrows. "What?"

Peter chuckled and then smirked. "Would you like to come with me? I know you don't have any plans, and no one should be alone on Christmas. It would make it better on me, too."

Megan let her mouth fall open. Spend Christmas…with the Dunlop's? What? Spending Christmas with Peter. It sounded magical.

"I wouldn't want to impose…" Megan started, but Peter just laughed. "I'd love to, Peter."

Peter smiled. "Sounds great. Thanks. Is it alright if I pick you up around eleven in the morning?"

Megan smiled even wider. "Sure."

Peter's face grew a little solemn. "I have to warn you though. They're going to ambush you. I've never…brought someone over for anything. They'll tell you embarrassing stories about me and will hound you to see if we're dating. They liked to get involved, and…they're not really happy with me still being single. If that's too much for you…"

Megan laughed. "Don't worry Peter. It'll be perfect."

The conversation grew more relaxed after that. Peter told Megan about his family. Megan became more and more excited to meet them. Peter glanced at his watch briefly and noticed the time. "It's getting really late," he said. "I should probably take you home." Megan nodded in agreement and finished the last sip of her wine. They headed out to Peter's car in silence.

Megan felt like she was wasting this precious time with Peter by not talking. "So…you're family's not happy you're single?"

Peter let out a laugh. "More like livid. They think I'm throwing my life away. I'm just…look. There's this woman…"

"Ah," Megan said with a smirk, though her heart was sinking.

"She's…she's everything I ever wanted. It's just hard for me to express it to her. And if she doesn't feel the same way, it'll cause a lot of complications," Peter practically whispered. Peter never shared his feelings with her. It was difficult on him.

"But what if she feels the same way? But she's just too nervous, too?" Megan replied, so quietly Peter could barely hear it. "What if she's dying to know how you feel, and you're keeping it to yourself?"

Peter had come to a stop outside of Megan's apartment building. He looked into her eyes, and whispered, "I just don't know how to tell her."

Their faces were so close, so close that Megan could feel Peter's breath on her face. He was right there. Her heart was beating out of control, and she was beginning to lose all rational thought…

Megan closed the space between them and kissed Peter, gently, but passionately on the lips. He seemed shocked at first, but then reciprocated and kissed her back. Megan finally let up for air and looked Peter in the eyes. "I sure as _hell _hope you were talking about me," she whispered with a soft laugh.

He smiled. "Don't worry."


	6. Realizations

**Still not doing homework…all of your reviews LITERALLY have made my day. I was really sick, and then all I got was love from you all. I was really nervous writing this story—I've written stories before, but I thought they were no good. You've all inspired me! I love you all so much, thank you! 3**

Megan walked into work bright and early, looking for Ethan. All her test results from last night should be in, and she could get back to work on her case. Though it was a little hard to keep her focused…

After she had gotten home last night, Peter had texted her:

_"Had an amazing time tonight. Hope we can do it again."_

She couldn't keep her mind off Peter. She wasn't sure how today would be, now that they were…they weren't even technically dating, were they? They just kissed. But what he had said to her…

"Mornin' Dr. Hunt," Curtis said as he walked past her, Ethan right behind.

"Megan! I get all your test results in. You'll never guess—Emily Richards was pregnant when she died. That would explain the first shot, the one to her stomach? The killer knew she was pregnant, and killed the baby first," Ethan told her.

"Hm," Megan replied. "The second shot, the one in her arm, maybe she was reaching to cover up the first wound, and was shot there?"

"Sounds plausible. But there's more," Ethan continued. "The baby? It wasn't Drew's. It was Samuel Walker's child."

Megan smiled. "I knew it," she whispered. "Drew had no idea. He told me that his wife and Samuel had been close, but he had no idea to what extent. But if he didn't kill her, and Samuel didn't kill her, then who did? The killer knew she was pregnant."

Ethan smiled. "Samuel and Emily weren't the only ones who knew. We tracked down her OB/GYN, and they said her daughter, Jessica, came to her only appointment."

"Jessica was the one who found Emily's body," Megan thought out loud. "And no one had seen her in the house. I didn't catch her on any of the security tape. I'll head over there with Peter." Ethan nodded his approval, and I dialed Peter's number.

"Hello?"

Gosh, that voice. "Hey Peter, it's Megan. I need you to meet me at the Richards' house. We need to talk to Jessica."

"Sure thing, I'll be there in just a few. Can't wait to see you." Megan smiled and hung up the phone. No man, not even Todd had ever been able to make her smile from a phone call. She was beginning to like this new thing.

Megan arrived at the home to see Peter waiting on the sidewalk. She smiled as she walked up to him and gave him a quick kiss before walking up the driveway. "You look gorgeous," Peter whispered. Megan smiled up at him and blushed. She could get used to this.

Peter knocked on the door, and Alex came to the door. He looked a little taken aback and retorted, "What are you doing here?"

"We're here to talk to your sister, Jessica," Megan told him. He nodded and yelled for her to come down. She walked down the stairs, her eyes still red and swollen.

"Can I help you?" She sniffled.

"We were wondering if you wouldn't mind answering a couple questions for us," Peter said, flashing his badge.

Sniffle. "Yeah, sure, come on in." Jessica led them into a large living room and sat down in a chair opposite Megan and Peter. "What can I help you with?"

"Jessica, what were you doing when your mother was killed?" Megan asked softly.

Another sniffle, and a single tear slid down Jessica's cheek. "Uhm, well…I was in the bathroom, for quite awhile. Sorry, I know it's too much information."

Megan nodded. "I didn't see you coming out on the security footage when you found your mom."

Jessica nodded. "The camera freezes a lot. I know it seems like I'm making an excuse, but it does, we've had people out multiple time to try to fix it, but we just can't seem to. I always see my brother fiddling with it, but he can't fix it either."

"Your brother?" Megan asked. "Is he good with that tech stuff?"

Jessica nodded. "Real good. He's the tech manager at my dad's company."

Peter looked taken aback. "Your brother works for your father?"

Jessica nodded again. "Yeah, why?"

Megan looked at Peter, then back at Jessica. "Does he ever…fix the employees' laptops?"

Jessica knitted her eyebrows. "Yeah, of course. That's the main purpose of his job."

Megan and Peter shared one pensive look, and it all clicked. "Jessica, where's your brother? We need to have a word with him."


	7. The Shot Heard Round the World

**Thank you to everyone who is reading, I really appreciate it! Time to get intense! Sorry this one is so short, the next one will be really good, promise.**

"My brother? He's here somewhere. Just let me find him," Jessica told Megan and Peter.

"Jessica. One more question. Did your brother know about your mother's pregnancy?" Megan softly asked. Jessica looked shocked, and just nodded in agreement.

Peter and Megan followed Jessica as she searched the house for her brother. Peter had one hand on the small of Megan's back and the other resting atop his holster, ready to whip his gun out at a moment's notice. Megan texted Bud and Sam to get to the house as soon as possible, and they were on their way, with backup.

"Alex? Alex, where are you?" Jessica yelled. No answer. "Alex?"

They were all silenced by the sound of a gunshot.

Peter held out his gun as Alex jumped out from behind a door behind them. He pushed Megan behind him and reached for Jessica, but Alex already had a hold on her. He was holding his gun against her forehead and had her in a headlock. "Nobody moves."

Peter stood unmoving, one hand point his gun at Alex and the other protectively on Megan. "Put the gun down," Peter commanded.

"No. We're playing this my way. One wrong move, and I'll kill all of you," he said. He took one step back away from Peter.

"Alex, please, I'm your sister, I love you, don't do this—" Jessica protested, but Alex screamed at her.

"Put her down, Alex," Peter commanded, but he just shook his head.

Alex smiled. "If you put your gun down, I'll let her go. Promise."

Peter didn't hesitate. He slowly reached down to the ground, keeping eye contact with Alex, and put his gun on the floor and kicked it away. Alex released Jessica, who immediately ran into the closest bedroom and locked the door.

"No way to protect yourself now, huh, Mr. Tough Guy?" Alex mocked. Peter remained still.

"Alex, my name is Megan. And I want you to listen to me. You can make everything okay, do you know that? You can put the gun down and you can walk away from this," she said, comfortingly.

"No, I can't. Not now. Do you know how good it felt to kill her? And to kill that _thing. _She slept with a man I looked up to my entire life. She betrayed my dad, the person I loved most in the world, with my role model. She's a filthy _whore. _She was going to have a nasty little love child, and call it my brother," he angrily retorted.

"Alex—" Megan began, but was interrupted by the front door being broken down. Bud and Sam led the way in bulletproof vests, other officers in the same following behind them. All guns were pointed at Alex.

"YOU!" Alex shouted, pointing at Megan and Peter. "YOU BROUGHT THEM HERE! THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! ALL YOUR FAULT!"

The world stopped as Alex fired his last shot. Megan didn't even hear the shots of all the officers shooting at Alex. The only shot that registered in her mind was the one that tore through Peter's stomach.


	8. Twas the Night Before Christmas

**I'm so sorry Peter! I never wanted him to get shot. I actually hadn't planned for him to get shot, until I was writing that part…I couldn't believe it. **

Megan woke up the next morning in a bright white room, with no remembrance as to how she got there. She thought she might've gotten drunk, until she heard a steady beeping. She looked to the machine it was coming from, followed to tube it was connected to, and saw it ended at Peter.

Oh, Peter.

She stood up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, and noticed that he was still asleep. She rested her hand on his forearm, and piece together what had happened last night.

Alex had been killed, but after he had nearly killed Peter. The bullet lodged itself in his abdomen, and he fell to the ground, not yelling in pain, but whispering, "Megan." Megan had leaned over him, applying pressure to the wound, which was now spewing out blood, as the paramedics stormed in and came to take care of him. Megan followed them into the ambulance, Megan holding Peter's hand, and he kept whispering her name. He had soon gone unconscious and underwent surgery that night, and had not woken up since. The other officers and M.E.'s came in to see how he was, but Megan was the one who stayed.

"Oh, Peter," Megan whispered now, out of her daydream. "Please stay with me."

Peter's eyes fluttered slightly, and he turned his head to the side. "M-Megan…?" he whispered.

"I'm here, Peter," she whispered in reply, and moved her hand to his cheek. His hand slowly made his way up to cover it, and he gave a slight smile.

"What happened?" he whispered. Megan explained to him, and he slowly opened his eyes to look at her. "Am I going to be ok?"

"You're going to be fine, Peter. Just stay strong. Stay with me," Megan replied. He smiled at her again, and reached for her hand. She gave it to him, and he squeezed her fingers.

"Megan?" Peter whispered, just barely audible. Megan squeezed his hand to let him know she was listening. "I love you."

Megan smiled bigger than she ever had before. People had told her they loved her before—Todd, Lacey, her mother, and many others. But coming from Peter, when she should be reassuring him? It meant the world. He was thinking of her before himself right now, when he needed to be focused more than ever. But he put himself aside, and thought of her first.

"I love you too, Peter," she whispered in reply. "So much."

They both just smiled at each other, when there was a knock at the door. Peter's three sisters walked in, and Megan instinctively went to pull her hand back, but Peter gave it a squeeze, and she felt reassured.

"Peter!" they all yelled in relief. "You're ok!"

Peter smiled and nodded. "Gunshots are nothing at this point," he said, looking over at where his shoulder was still badly scarred from his last incident.

His oldest sister, Victoria, looked from Peter to his and Megan's interlocked fingers and smiled. "Peter! Introductions are necessary I believe!"

Megan blushed, and stood up. "Hi, I'm Megan. It's nice to meet you all." She shook all their hands, and they all look approvingly.

"I must say, Peter," the middle sister, Ashley, said, "You picked a good one." Megan blushed more.

"Sure did," Peter answered, and squeezed Megan's hand.

"Is she the one you're bringing on Christmas?" the youngest sister, Marie, asked. Megan and Peter both nodded, and the girls smiled. "We're going to have the best time!"

Everyone chitchatted for a while, until it was just Megan and Peter again. "Do you think they liked me?" Megan asked.

Peter rolled his eyes. "I'll say. I'm surprised they didn't start talking weddings." They both laughed, and Megan gave Peter a quick kiss.

Peter's doctor walked into the room, and smiled at both of them. "Why hello. How are we feeling?"

Peter smiled. "Pretty good, actually. A little sore, obviously, but nothing too bad. Do you know when I'll be let out?"

The doctor nodded. "Probably late tonight, they'll discharge you and let you go home." Peter nodded, and the doctor left the two alone again.

"Do you know what today is, Peter?" Megan whispered. Peter shook his head. "Christmas Eve."

Peter smiled. "Not exactly the way I thought I'd spend it."

Megan laughed. "Me neither. But at least we're together." Peter smiled and kissed the love of his life.


	9. Emily's Fall

**Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me a little while to update, been a busy week. So this chapter isn't really part of the story, it's how Alex had managed to kill Emily Richards. I came up with this mystery all on my own, and I was quite proud, so I hope you like it! (Next chapter…Christmas at the Dunlop's!)**

Alex had been walking toward Samuel Walker's office to have a quick word on his laptop early one morning. Just before approaching the door, he could hear Samuel on the phone, and stopped to let him finish.

"You're…what? How can you be pregnant? This can't be happening! What are we going to do? Emily, you're husbands going to find out, and I'm going to lose my job…"

And that's how Alex learned his mother had been cheating. He was devastated to hear so. He loved his mom and dad with all his heart, and his mom had betrayed them all. He had never been so angry before.

Alex walked into Samuel's office when he was off the phone, and pretended like he had heard nothing. He and Samuel talked, and after awhile, Samuel left, leaving Alex alone in his office. Going through his laptop bag, he found a key stashed at the bottom, and looked around to see if it opened anything. He saw the bottom drawer of Samuel's desk had a keyhole in it, so he stuck the key in and turned it. The drawer opened, revealing a small gun. That was when the planned hatched itself in Alex's head.

He could destroy his unfaithful mother, and as much as he wanted to destroy Samuel, he knew he could do worse—he could frame the entire crime on Samuel, just by using his gun. Thus, he began to execute his plan.

The night that he was to kill his mother, she went out late to take out the trash. He walked past his father's office, to make sure he was occupied, and headed down the stairs and snuck out the back door. She was rolling the trashcan down the driveway, while he ran up beside her. "Here, mom, let me take that."

She smiled gratefully. "Oh, thank you, Alex, but it's alright."

Alex smiled back. "We wouldn't want you straining the baby."

Emily's jaw dropped, as her son smirked. Before she could think, Alex pulled a gun out of his back pocket and shot her in the stomach, killing the baby instantly. Emily's hand went to cover her stomach, and he shot her in the arm to stop her. She fell back against the snow, writhing in pain, and looked up at her son.

"Any last words?" Alex asked.

Her eyes began to flutter. "Nnnh…Al…Alex…"

And he shot her in the forehead.

**Sorry it's a shorty, the next one will be worth it!**


	10. Christmas at the Dunlop's

**Well, this is it! Sorry it took so long to update, you wouldn't believe the couple weeks I've had. I hope this chapter is a good enough ending for you! Thanks for sticking through and reading, this one's dedicated to all of you. And now I present to you...Christmas at the Dunlop's!**

Megan had on her red, long-sleeved dress as she slid on her last gold bracelet. It was Christmas morning, and Lacey was with Todd, visiting his family. As much as this upset her, she did have a reason to be happy-her (now official!) boyfriend, Peter, was on his way to pick her up to take her to his family's house for the day. She would meet his sisters, their husbands and children, and his parents. She was a little nervous of what they would think, but Peter would be there, and that was all that mattered.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on her door, and she finished sliding on her heels and clip-clopped over. She opened the door to Peter holding a bouquet of red roses and a small Christmas package. "Merry Christmas," he whispered, giving her a quick kiss. He walked in the apartment towards the kitchen, and Megan followed him.

"Before we leave, I just wanted to give you these," he said sheepishly. Megan blushed and took the flowers with a mumbled thank you and went to put them in a vase. "And this, well this..." Peter started, but looked at the floor. "I know we haven't been dating long, but I wanted to get you this."

"That wasn't necessary, Peter," Megan replied, but took the package regardless. She pulled out the tissue paper to reveal a velvety black box. She gasped, and opened the box.

Sitting inside was a pair of sterling silver hoop earrings. Though simple, they were absolutely stunning. "Oh, Peter...they're beautiful."

Peter smiled. "I'm glad you like them, I wasn't sure you would." Megan simply shook her head, and Peter offered his arm to her and they set out.

Megan took another sip from her wine and giggled. She was sitting next to Peter at his parents' dining room table as his mother told a funny story from when Peter was a teenager. "Thanks for sharing that one, mom," he said sarcastically with a wink. Megan squeezed his hand under the table and laughed again.

"So Megan," Peter's oldest sister started. "You and Peter...are you official?"

Megan blushed and Peter opened his mouth to say something, but she shushed him. "Just as of a couple days ago, but I've has feelings for your brother for quite a while."

Peter looked up. "You have?"

Megan's face flushed a deep red, and she nodded. "We had been working together for quite some time, and I realized he was a truly exceptional man."

Peter's mom beamed. "He is, isn't he?" she said, looking adoringly at Peter.

"Mom," Peter groaned.

She smiled in return. "And Petey...how do you feel about Megan?"

Peter blushed. "Mom, are we really doing this now?" Peter let out a deep breath. "Things are going great, and I'm happier than I've ever been." Megan gave Peter a light kiss on the cheek and he smiled at her. Peter's sisters all cheerfully sighed.

"We're so happy for you. We thought Peter was destined to spend life alone at this point..."

"Mom!" Peter yelled.

Peter's niece, the six-year-old Alison, came up and tugged on Megan's arm. "Aunt Megan, will you come help me finish my puzzle?"

Megan blushed at the word "aunt." She looked up at Peter who was smiling down at her. Maybe someday she would be her aunt.

"Sure thing sweetheart," she answered, and stood up from the table. Peter followed her, and they helped the girl finish her puzzle.

The elevator doors slid open, and Megan and Peter stepped out to walk to the door of her apartment. She turned to face Peter when they got there, and he smiled.

"I had the best day, Peter. Really," she whispered.

He smiled, his hands in his pockets. "Good. They loved you, I hope you know that. Sorry they were embarrassing," he said, sliding his hand up to rub the back of his neck.

She grabbed his hand and gave it a squeeze. "They weren't. They were so perfect. Your mom was quite the character, and your niece was so precious."

Peter looked down and blushed. "Aunt Megan."

Megan giggled. "It was the sweetest thing I had ever heard."

He looked into her eyes. "Better get used to it, she asked me to bring you to see her again soon."

Megan giggled and leaned in to kiss Peter. She had never felt so happy in her life. For once, she felt complete. Their foreheads pressed against each other, both of their eyes closed.

"I love you, Megan," Peter whispered, barely loud enough to hear. Megan pulled back and looked him in the eye. A smile slowly crept along her lips, and she kissed him again, gently.

"I love you, too."

**AHHHHH! That's it! Gosh, it breaks my heart the story is over. I hope you loved it as much as I loved writing it. You guys are the best, and I'd like to thank all my reviewers and subscribers for their love, it means the world! Love you with all my heart 3**


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